Detroit Economy to be Repaired by Immigrants?
"Immigrants Seen as Way to Refill Detroit Ranks." CNN.
Davey, Monica. "Immigrants seen." The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 23 Jan 14. Web. 10 Feb 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/us/immigrants-seen-as-way-to-refill-detroit-ranks.html?&_r=1>.
In the article above, it is being suggested that immigrant workers on visa plans could potentially bring back the Detroit economy and lower unemployment rates. Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan decided to seek federal aid in bringing in 50,000 immigrants to the bankrupt city of Detroit.
The visa program that is to be submitted to federal authorities is going to be aimed towards workers with exceptional abilities in science, math, and fine arts, or those with advanced degrees in the fields. This plan would force the immigrants who accepted it to live and work in Detroit for the duration of their visa plans. Detroit has not only experienced economic losses, but they have also came upon population decline.
Mayor Mike Duggan of Detroit says he "backs" Mr. Snyder's plan, as he wanted to see population growth within five years and many city council members agreed to this notion. Duggan was quoted saying, "The leadership of this community is united in saying we are going to take advantage of the governors initiative." However, there are some who are wiling to look at this issue from a different perspective, like Eric Foster, a political consultant, saying, "There will be some who's vantage point will be, 'okay, but what are you going to do to help the people who are already there?' ". This is a valid concern, as thirty eight percent of Detroit are currently under the poverty line.
The support for this proposal of work visa's to attract entrepreneurial immigrants to Detroit has more support, than opposition. The good may well out weigh the bad, but this will have to wait to be found out after the formal proposal is made.
In my personal opinion, this idea is just not a realistic approach to the situation at hand. You should try to help people attain degrees in the community and instill a passion for MSE (math, science, engineering) careers in children. Bringing in a potential 50,000 people to Detroit is a temporary fix to a deeper rooted issue. There will still be a large percentage of Detroit natives under the poverty line, and homeless. This, to me, is unacceptable.
This issue affects me in really no personal way. This issue however, does impact the nation. Quoting Davey, "This proposal comes as a push in mid western cities... to jump-start growth by attracting entrepreneurial immigrants."
Here is a video of the speech Rick Snyder gave on Detroit's issues.
